Kendo no Go
In the Language of Kendo:
A Fanfic in 100 Chapters
by Akai Kitsune
71: Chores
~*~
Dinner preparation always
looked so easy when Kenshin made it. She liked - and hated - to watch him as he
cooked, and it seemed to her as if he simply tossed everything together, never
pausing, never struggling, never having to wrestle with how much or how little
of each ingredient to add.
She envied his skill, always thinking of her
own meager abilities in the kitchen. Certainly, whatever she cooked was edible,
but it lacked the proper flavour that Kenshin always seemed to get right. She
wanted to please him for once; she wanted to cook a wonderful meal and
surprise him. She wanted to see his face light up as he tasted the food she
prepared, without the forced smile or calming gestures that really, it tasted
just fine, even when it didn't, even when Yahiko mumbled complaints if he was
present.
"How does it taste?"
"It's wonderful, Kaoru, just
wonderful. I've never tasted anything like it."
She could dream, of course, but when it came to
preparing supper, she always found herself fighting with the recipes, bemoaning
her failures in silence. At first, of course, Kenshin offered to help, but after
receiving a biting, defensive retort or shrewd glare one too many times, he
stopped altogether. He knew better, now.
It made her feel guilty to
think it, but peacefulness had greatly changed the mood of her dojo.
Conversation was strained at times, and with the collective group off in other
places, so distant from where she was, the experiences of the past seemed little
more than a dream to her. Of course Kenshin could never think that way -
could he? - but he was still able to smile, and shrug, and brush aside his
concerns so easily.
She felt guilty because she knew how much he
loved peace. He thrived in the quiet of ritual, the gentle life of simply
living. He was at his best when he was in battle... but his heart was full
and happy when the world around him was safe.
Of course, there was the issue of his tendency
to mope. It was his job to do chores around the house, from laundry to simple
dusting, and she had to admit he was immensely good at keeping their home in
perfect working order. On days when she was working at other dojos around town,
or training her own students, he kept himself busy with cooking, cleaning, or
taking care of Kenji.
However, when she chose to work instead,
ordering him to sit and do nothing for a change, she found that he grew restless
and - yes, it was true - terribly bored. She often caught him sneaking off to
help her in some way, such as refilling the water bucket in the kitchen, or
dumping the dirty cleaning water, even tidying up the spare rooms of the house.
He would smile when she scolded him, looking guilty but not the least bit sorry
for it, insisting that she didn't have to do everything, and he ought to
be helping instead of just sitting around. She countered by stating that he
usually did everything anyway, not wanting to recognize that he worked when
she did, and that he merely wanted the workload to be fair and evenly
divided between them.
But he was always driving himself, it seemed;
he thrust his heart into each and every household duty and never stopped. He
needed to keep himself busy, for reasons she just couldn't understand.
Eventually, she just stopped arguing with him, overlooking his attempted aid
with a sigh and a shake of her head.
Later she realized that this dismissal wasn't
only because Kenshin insisted upon doing the household chores no matter what she
said; it was because she wanted him to, unspoken and secretly. She hated to see
him when he was doing nothing at all - simply sitting and brooding, bored out of
his mind and wishing he could find a way to escape his own company. She could
only imagine what sort of thoughts ran through his head.
Sometimes she was able to
get him to rest, forcing him with sharp words and - if she had to - a
sleeping child in his arms to sit down and stay still. When he reluctantly
agreed, he would sit on the porch - Kenji cuddled in his lap - and watch her,
smiling wearily, as if he knew he was enjoying himself yet was unable to truly
acknowledge the fact.
On one such day, Kaoru was sweeping the dojo
walkway while he leaned against the engawa post, relaxing in the midday sun. He
was reading the day's newspaper, which she had told him to purchase on his usual
trip for tofu. Occasionally he would comment on the day-by-day occurrences of
Tokyo, attempting to make the dull quiet of the dojo a little less oppressive,
and she would smile and nod, glancing over to peek at his expression before
turning back to her chore and falling silent once again. Nearby, Yahiko swung a
bokken with practiced ease, chanting the number of his strokes as Kenji mimicked
the motion at his feet, struggling to repeat his words.
After a particularly long bout of silence,
Kaoru glanced over to find her husband's expression clouded in concern, an
intense frown pursing his lips.
"Kenshin?" she called, and
he started, an apologetic smile already on his face. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing to worry about," he
replied, waving a hand vaguely to the paper in his hands. "Just an article that
surprised me. Things have been so peaceful lately..."
She pressed one hand against her hip, slightly
impatient. "What is it?"
His smile faltered a little. "This article...
it says a man was killed last night, in his home. It seems his wife attacked
him, and the wounds he received were fatal. I just found it odd-"
"Why's that?" Kaoru raised
an eyebrow, her brow furrowed. "Did it say why she attacked him?"
"Oro? Well, no, it-"
"I'll bet he was a terrible
husband!" she decided, nodding to herself. "He was probably a violent, rude,
oppressive man. And he threatened the children, too."
He watched her curiously, his eyes jaded in the
shadows of late afternoon. "What makes you say that?"
"No respectable woman would
attack her husband under normal circumstances," she told him confidently,
continuing on with her work. "I'm just sorry she felt she had to kill him. What
sort of life has she made for herself, now?"
Kenshin shrugged, glancing back at the article
for a moment. "It's never the right answer," he murmured, his gaze flickering
towards Yahiko and Kenji, who were watching him in silence.
"Eh?"
He shook his head and stood, folding the paper
neatly and leaving it on the porch. "I think I'll go prepare dinner for us."
Kaoru tapped the broom against the ground, her
eyes narrowing. "Wait just a minute, Kenshin! It's my turn to cook."
Yahiko grinned mischievously. "You hear that,
Kenji?" He knelt beside the little boy, ruffling his hair. "Your mom's trying to
get herself in the paper!"
The reference, while lost on Kenji, did not
pass Kaoru's notice.
"Yahiko!"
Kenshin hastily took Kenji by the hand and led
him inside, as Kaoru chased her laughing pupil around the dojo property. The
sounds of their antics echoed through the house as Kenshin began his work, Kenji
at his heels clutching his hakama.
Dinner that night was, as usual, an adventure.
~*~
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